July 21, 2011

Says Angelina Jolie, who gave her children crickets to eat in Cambodia, because "I thought, I wanted them to understand culturally, I didn’t want them to be turned off by something that was their culture."

I applaud her introduction of crickets and I assume other unusual and interesting food, to her children. Crickets taste pretty good if they are cooked well. But, you have to wonder in what meaningful way Angelina's children will actually be culturally Cambodian? How much of Cambodian culture will really be their culture? Cambodian culture does not generally include private jets to Cannes every spring. Cricket eating does not an South East Asian make. I've eaten haggis all my life, I am no more Scottish than Brad Pitt. Haggis, and mushy peas, and kilt wearing and bitter blood feuds lasting for generations are parts of my heritage, but not part of my culture. I am probably picking nits here over shades of meaning that don't necessarily translate in interviews. Picking nits is part of my culture, however.

Haggis, and mushy peas, and kilt wearing and bitter blood feuds lasting for generations are parts of my heritage, but not part of my culture. I am probably picking nits here over shades of meaning that don't necessarily translate in interviews. Picking nits is part of my culture, however.

Was once treated to a dinner buffet by Thai military officers. Some things in the serving line were identifiable, some not.

One of the things I picked resembled a strip of bacon or jerky - only skinnier. As I got around to eating it, I realized my hosts were keeping an eye on me. One began to grin, then another - next thing you knew they were laughing their asses off.

One of them finally managed to say, "You the first American we see eat a worm." Wasn't bad, really. In an attempt to have the last laugh, I went back and got a couple more.

Crickets are probably a lot healthier than Doritos. How much should she limit eating them? What's the ecological impact to eating crickets are opposed beef and pork? She might want to encourage this behavior.

Fried crickets don't taste too bad. When I was in Cambodia, there was always a group of people in the local market eating various types of fried bugs. One woman ate them out of a large bowl with her grandchildren the way we eat popcorn.

Of course, the tourists always flocked to the largest, scariest-looking bugs and dare each other to eat them. Two people in our group ate some humongous fried tarantulas after downing a couple Tiger beers. That was quite a show...